January 7, 2009

ESPN's Mark Schlabach just posted an article stating that multiple sources have confirmed to him that Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno will declare their intentions to enter the NFL draft early at a press conference today.

For all of those folks who think, Stafford "isn't ready yet," I would ask you...."Who is MORE prepared for the NFL right now than Matthew Stafford? Sam Bradford? Ok. I'll give you that one.

Who else? Colt McCoy? During the Fiesta Bowl, I'd wager that McCoy only attempted about 3 passes longer than 15 yards of his 55 or so attempts. Tebow's mechanics are a total mess. Graham Harrell is a system QB who primarily throws dink and dump passes in a non-analogous NFL offense. So, who is more ready? The only way I see Stafford falling out of the Top 5 picks of the draft would be if the Lions or Chiefs sign Matt Cassell as a free agent AND if the other team drafted Bradford over Stafford.

Could he have benefited from another year in college? Probably. But that's not the same as saying "He's not ready, yet."

Good luck to both of them. They've both performed at elite levels for Georgia, and they were both instrumental to our success. Without Stafford and Moreno, there's no #2 ranking last year, and this team would've easily been an 8-5 or worse squad without them.

Update:I'm watching the press conference. They are both gone, and they are saying all the right things. Richt said that Joe Cox is our #1 as of right now, and one of the other guys will "have to knock him out of the box."

I'll be curious to watch the QB situation shape up for next year. I really liked what I saw out of Logan Gray in last year's spring game. I think the starting job is between Cox and Gray - I don't see a true freshman getting it done next year.

PWD - you also mentioned Samuel moving to LB next year. Sounds like this announcement will decrease the likelihood of a position move. Thoughts??

Yeah, I'm excited about Joe Cox having a chance as well. Bobo won't ask Cox to throw bombs down the field as often and our short passing game might actually improve. I think the offensive line will be incredibly solid next year, which will enable our running game lead by King to have a strong year.

Thanks for Stafford and Moreno for giving us one of the most exciting years in UGA's history. You'll definitely be missed.

Say what you like WW. Despite the fact that you clearly have inside knowledge on the motivations of both players, lets consider a few things:

1) Does UGA go to or come back and win the Chic-fil-a Bowl without Stafford?

2) Does UGA still manage to win 10 games in 2008 with a constantly restructured O-line without Stafford and Moreno?

3) Does UGA come back after the Tennessee loss in 2007 to win the Sugar Bowl and finish #2 in the country without Stafford and Moreno?

The answer to all of those questions in case you were wondering is hell no!

Both guys stepped up and made major contributions to the program over the last 3 years.

Its ok to be upset and disappointed. Its ok to get excited about Cox and King (I'm getting there by the way). But its not ok to rag on two guys who contributed to victories for the Dawgs and to raising the national profile of the program.

Some people have said that Stafford saw UGA as a springboard to the NFL. Maybe he did. So what? In the meantime, he won a lot more games than he lost and, along with Moreno, kept UGA in the national spotlight.

Logically, if Stafford's Dad is choosing to drive the 13hrs to Athens rather than fly, I would imagine that he is picking something up, i.e. Stafford and his stuff. Plus, why does he need to be there otherwise?

I know that next year's class will be loaded, but the Matt Cassel situation could have a huge impact on Stafford financially. If you look at the draft order, only these teams in the top 10 need a qb - Detroit, KC, San Fran. St. Louis could take a qb as could Seattle (esp if they trade Hasselback to Minn.) Oakland might take a qb if they think Jamarcus is a bust and Cincinnati could trade Palmer to start over. But the Cleveland is not in the market, neith is Jax, neither is GB.

If Cassel gets traded to Detroit - it is not a given that KC will take Stafford if both Bradford and Sanchez come out.

In the next 10, Buffalo at 11 might take a qb, but probably not. The next 4 teams will not take a qb (Denver, Wash, NO, Houst) I think the Jets will draft 16th since SD won their playoff game. If NYJ does not take a qb could he go to the Bears or TB? Now he is pick in the late teens lookint at Brady Quinn type money - not Matt Ryan money.

Of course, Dallas could try to trade up with someone by offering Tony Romo and Jerry Jones endless resources. They do not have a first round pick right now though.

Stafford also started nearly 40 games in the SEC. That's more experience most guys who stay their senior year ever get before entering the draft. I don't think he will be any better off in 2010 by spending 2009 in the SEC over the NFL.

Stafford should be praying that Bradford and Sanchez are taken ahead of him. The farther he falls, the better the odds on getting on a good to decent team and pull a Ben Roethlisberger (no way I spelled that correctly).

The money will be solid as a mid round pick and if he is successful more will come. Too many players are short sighted.

The key to me is to follow Matt Ryan's lead and get a deal signed fast and get into camp. QBs that sit out rarely seem to do well in the short or long term.

As for using UGA as a springboard to the NFL: for those who attended UGA, didn't you use UGA as a springboard for your career?

One thing I don't understand is why? call a press conference to announce your leaving? Typically and pretty much as far back as I can remember most kids and AD's don't call press conferences to announce their leaving, only if you are staying. I don't discount the sources but it seems a little odd to do so.

I forgot to add that I think NFL teams will be hesitant to risk a high pick on Beanie Wells. He has had a lot of injuries.

Also, teams can get RBs lower in the draft and save money. Using a high pick on a RB seems like a bad idea. Denver had 1000 yard rushers who were 3rd to 6th round picks (mainly because they had a great O line and Elway).

I'm glad this finally got mentioned 82. Stafford will not be any better by staying another season. He is a pro QB playing college ball currently. Once he has pro players around him, he will shine moreso than he did in college. Routes are run far more efficiently, OL will be far more effective, and the coaching will be superior (Lord I hope he is able to bypass Detroit somehow). He is never going ot be the type of QB who steamrolls in college. He is a very talented and solid QB, but he is utilizing a professional skill-set with players geared more for the college game. Doesn't mesh although it sounds as if it should. Moreno will be a big loss, considering King may not be what we all thought he would be. Cox will be solid next year behind a stellar OL, RB will be by committee, Green will turn in another stellar year, another WR will emerge on the other side, DE's will improve greatly, LB play will improve as well. We'll be a team similar to Ala this year but not undefeated of course. Just a sound team with enough strengths to go 10-2 and a 2nd place finish in the East. New Years Day bowl against another Big 10 team which we win and finish in the lower part of the top 10. Then it's onto the Aaron Murray years...

I think the press conference thing at UGA is way for both players to show respect for the program and the university. I don't think any of should be mad at them for leaving and having the announcement at UGA.

I think Richt being involved is a class thing to do, plus it cannot hurt recruiting by showing our support for our players when they make a decision that they truly believe is in their own best interest.

Is anyone else upset that they are calling a press conference to declare?!? Is this standard? A lot of fans have been begging for you to stay and this is how you go out? Seems pretty arrogant to me....

Stafford and Moreno both gave us some great memories. They will be missed. I think Moreno is definitely making the right choice, and possibly Stafford as well. Look at Pollack's injury. If that had happened in college, no signing bonus payday, and no ability to say "I played in the NFL."

... however ...

Is there anyone else with a strange, hard to explain, sense of relief? The last 3 years have been, imho, the most frustrating of Richt's 8 year tenure. Something just hasn't been right. I am *NOT* blaming Stafford or Moreno whatsoever. I am just pointing something out. Maybe people expected those guys to do it all, maybe Georgia was just another school to them - they loved it, but didn't die for it, or maybe they didn't have an "it" factor in the locker room, or who knows what. But something was never right the last 3 years. While it may have nothing to do with those two players, I think the overall "weirdness" of the last 3 UGA teams makes it so I'm not as bummed as I thought I would be.

I am actually a little relieved that we are finally going to move forward into the next era.

The David Greene (w/ DJ Shockley) era was awesome.

The Stafford (w/ Tereshinski/Cox) era..... not so much.

Here's to our next era being more like Greene's and a little less like Stafford's.

Really? I see the press conference as a show of respect for the fans and the program. I'd feel much more disrespected if, for instance, Moreno just phoned it in from New Jersey. It's like breaking up ... no text messages or phone calls, no sending a friend to do your dirty work ... it's gotta be face-to-face.

Muckbeast, Moreno's body language in the MSU game was not a positive vibe toward Stafford. There's no doubt that Stafford's tendency to look downfield and not check to the backs cost the teams in the first half; Moreno was frustrated he didn't get more touches.

And considering how poorly our OL run blocked all year (not their fault!) and how well Moreno runs in space, I can't say I blame him. I love them both but i could see friction in the natural desire to be the center of the offense.

I think Moreno will be a great pro. On Stafford, though, the jury's still out. Decision-making was never his strength, and he'll need to get a lot better at it in a big hurry.

I sat at press conferences for Worley and Henderson and Hampton and Hearst and Hastings and Champ Bailey and watched them all make the jump. Who can blame them? I do recall Bernard Williams, Mitch Davis and Eric Zeier’s pressers to say they were staying, though.

David Hale guesses that it's to get most (not all) of the questions answered at one time so they can move on with their futures - thuse avoid being hounded by every beat reporter for a comment/qoute.

When guys leave your program for the NFL then it is a credit to your program. Other players/recruits will see that and want to be in that environment. Most college football players have the illusion that they are NFL material. Why not go where your odds of making it to the NFL are better?

on another note:Did anyone catch the comment by the kid at the Army HS game about how his home for the next 3 years was going to be West Va as he announced his commitment? That's the mindset out there with some of these kids. You'll never hear "Senior WR AJ Green" in Sanford Stadium.

"Am I alone out there? Does anyone else agree that they are overrated and have been disappointments?"

No. They are neither overrated nor disappointing. What IS disappointing is that the cast around them was not always strong enough to lead to a great team, and in Knowshon's case it's disappointing that he was redhsirted and lost a year, but the guy is clearly ready for the pros.

Moreno is not a disappointment. I'd give up my next born child to have him back for one more year. No back I can remember turned 1-2 yard losses into 2-3 yard gains more frequently. Prime example the TD at SC and in the Cap Bowl when he collided with Staff on the handoff and still got back to the line of scrimmage. If he did come back (he's not), behind a healthy/experienced line, he'd hit 2000+ yds next year easy.

Stafford - all the gifts in the world, but in terms of talent versus production ratio, I've never been overly impressed. I take nothing away from what he's done and I hope he does well, but what is the learning curve on not throwing off your back foot, into 2 man coverage or some soft touch on a slant over the middle? Just saying that in specific terms of being the best QB he could, he left a lot on the table. But he's not the reason we didn't win as much as we could have.

#1- Point of reference, Cassell isn't franchised. They can't do that until Feb. Report is that they will franchise him. Big difference.#2- It's a good sign for the program that guys are leaving early to be drafted in the first round. It means you are getting elite talent and typically means you will keep getting it. LSU, Florida, USC, Oklahoma, Texas, Ohio State...hasn't hurt them.#3- It's a shame that most of the folks commenting clearly don't have a clue. It's like the old saying, "Act like you have been there before." Crapping on players for entering the draft or for being some of the most productive players in the history of the Red and Black is just b-league and should be beneath fans of a great program/university like UGA.#4-People want to wax nostalgic about David Greene and DJ and other players b/c somehow Stafford and Moreno didn't deliver like they did...that is a myth. DJ won an SEC championship and is a great guy, but didn't sniff a Natty Championship and didn't win the Sugar Bowl. Greene was a great guy and won an SEC championship and finished #2 as a soph, but couldn't get us any higher as a jr. or sr. Stafford and Moreno led us to a #2 ranking and were a Vanderbilt field goal away from being in the SEC championship game with a chance for a national championship. None of these guys did anything but bleed red and black and give us great football to watch. We are all waiting for that group to get us over the hump and into the national championship picture/consistently beat FL...but everybody has flaws in their resume...there are few that have come close to the positives that Knowshon and Stafford have afforded us.

It's a great day to be a Dawg when two of your own are leaving to get paid millions of dollars whether it be b/c of a chemistry degree or a football pedigree. Good luck, fellas!

Both announced they are leaving for the draft. Can't say I blame them...last year without the rookie salary cap...money talks! Both said they are interested in coming back and finishing their education. DGD's!!!!!!!

So where does Stafford rank amongst all time UGA QBs? (I posed this question a year or two ago, time to bring it back).

DJ did not win the Sugar Bowl, but I place that loss squarely on the defense (and one poor special teams play). DJ brought UGA back and had a chance to win. DJ ranks high in my book as a person because he stayed. I really thought he would leave when it was clear Greene was not going to be beat out.

4. Stafford--if our receivers would've held on to the ball against the cocks last year in athens he'd have an sec title and possibly a national title. can't take anything away from him . . .but i'll take the three above on my uga team anyday over stafford. (and i'm not hatin' on staffdaddy, he will be a better pro than a college qb).

1 more thing, i'm really looking forward to seeing what joe cox and logan do next year, hopefully a greene/dj combination. i'm also looking forward to a clean slate, a fresh start (although for once i DO wish we were opening with ga southern in lieu of okie state).

David Hale says that "Stafford, on the other hand, said he had pretty much made up his mind before the bowl game that he was leaving."

Not sure what I think about this, but it does rub me the wrong way somewhat. He should have had the most difficult decision to make for his own sake as a player. It kind of makes me want to go back to thinking Matty's view of his own ability doesn't quite square with everyone else's view.

Just curious if you have any criteria or if those are just "gut" picks?

I actually think it is pretty hard to 'rank' those guys...I'd rather just celebrate what I like about each. I love DJ for the fact that he had one season and he led the boys to an SEC championship and set the record for TD passes. I love Greene for the Hobnail Boot and 70X takeoff, the SEC championship and the 2 SEC East titles, and 1 shared SEC East title.

As for the QB of the hour, I love Stafford for the highest final AP ranking since Herschel, the SEC east co-title, the most TD passes in one season, the guts he had his freshman year getting hammered on every pass, 3-0 against Auburn, 3-0 in bowl games, 11-4 against teams in the top 25, and a crazy .844 winning percentage as a starter (Greene's winning % by comparison was .820 as a starter). I can't imagine that any QB who started more than 20 games had a higher winning % that Matt Stafford.

TopDawg - are you saying that every QB PLAYED four years in college. There's a difference between being the starter and watching from the sidelines. I'm sure Stafford number of starts will compare well against most pro QBs.

Kid has never made a B in his life (though CALCULUS may derail that), has a 5.12 GPA, is forgoing early enrollment (with CMR's blessing) to pursue being his high school's valedictorian and sends a daily text message to other Georgia commits with a Bible verse.

Oh, he wants to be an engineer -- and committed to Georgia over Tech anyway.

From the AJC:"It was a telling sign that Stafford submitted his name and paperwork to the NFL’s draft advisory committee this week, well before the Jan. 15 deadline. In fact, he had his mind made up long before the Bulldogs traveled to Orlando for the Capital One Bowl.

The reality is that Stafford has been training his whole life for this. He is expected to be selected in the first round, perhaps even No. 1.

That’s where the advisory board had him rated - “a likely first-round draft pick.” That is all he needed to know.

“I graduated high school early to come here,” said Stafford, who left Highland Park High in Dallas for good in December of 2005. “I feel like I’ve been on the fast track for a long time.” "

I tried to tell you all that his ego was an issue. It obviously still is. Lot of good talking to the Mannings did...

He talked to the mannings...Archie and his 'zero' ego is going to demand stafford be traded to the Giants if the Lions take him #1 and Peyton taught him how to sexually harass the female trainers in the Nfl.

You really have no clue. All the kid did for UGA is win games at a 85% clip and you want to tear him down for recoginizing that if he worked his ass off, he could be on the way to a $35-$50 million job?

Who said I was tearing him down??? Look, Stafford was good, ok, I would rather have him than not! I don't blame him for leaving! I just think his priorities may have been--MAY--have been on himself sometimes, that's all.

I have little proof of this and it is only an impression, but take a look at what Joe Cox said in Bradley's AJC column about it.

It really disturbs me how many of the posters are so quick to hurl personal insults I have no clue? I;m sure I have as much a clue as most of the people here (except when it comes to Georgia Tech records). You people REALLY cannot handle any disagreement with your opinions!

Why don't you just make a claim otherwise--demonstrate that my hunch about Stafford is wrong and be done with it?

even if you are right, that stafford's priorities may have been on himself, so what? so what if he made up his mind before the bowl game? did he not play a great game? did the team not win (we do still play to win the games, i think)? did he not go make the tackle after he threw an INT?

don't his best interests and the team's best interests align? when would making himself a better nfl prospect hurt the team? the 85% of games he won? the record number of TDs? can you point to a single instance of stafford's "priorities being on himself" costing the team?

Anon 11:37, no, i can't point to an instance, obviously.I could envision situations, though. How about forcing that pass to AJ Green in the Florida game? The one that got run back to the one and pretty much ended the game? Did anyone else, other than me and the NFL scouts, wonder about his decision-making at times?

I have been down this road and people just got irked at me so I'll leave it here: I would rather have Stafford than not, OK? Maybe Joe Cox will enlighten us.

> rbubp said...> Muckbeast, Moreno's body language in the MSU > game was not a positive vibe toward Stafford.> There's no doubt that Stafford's tendency to> look downfield and not check to the backs cost> the teams in the first half; Moreno was > frustrated he didn't get more touches.

That is a good point. Maybe those two stars, as awesome as they are, just were not a good combo. Perhaps that is one of the "something isn't right" factors I spoke of.

"Something hasn't been right" for the last 3 years. I think we can mostly agree on that without placing direct blame.

Don't confuse this with bashing. I loved watching them both play. I'd love to have them back. I can't wait to watch them in the pros. But something just has never quite clicked for our teams the last 3 years.

I just hope the next era will represent a departure from that, and maybe yield some better TEAMS even if it doesn't have as many super stars.

By the way, why are people excited by comparing things to the DJ/Green comparison. We were at our WORST when we would randomly sub DJ in for Greene. More often than not, it would just disrupt Green's rhythm (a huge problem for his style of QB), and DJ always felt so much pressure to immediately deliver miracles he would try too hard.

rbubp: At what point are you going to understand that college prepares you for a career? If Stafford will most likely be the #1 pick in the draft, I think that's about as prepared as you can get. Here's to Stafford and Moreno for all they did for UGA and all they will continue to do through their excellent play. I hope they have long, spectacular careers and make MILLIONS!

Anon 9:42, who said he's likely to be number 1? You? I keep reading that on Georgia blogs, but no one else says that, including the scouts who have him as the #3 QB and think he should stay in school to work on his decision-making. And when did I say college doesn't prepare you for a career? I do believe I said I don't blame him for leaving; what I am inclined to think, by his comments, is that he had one foot out the door.

I never said anything about how MS & KM get along OFF the field. I said that it's possible that sometimes Stafford's tendency, not a conscious decision--like the 3 pt shooter in basketball--was to force the ball downfield.

But as usual, the rest of you are right and I don't get it. It's an interpretation based on observation, not data, therefore anecdotal and not to be taken all THAT seriously. None of you was slandered. Have some civility and interest in dialog, please.

I'm sorry that "get a clue" was perceived as a personal insult. What I should have said was "your opinions and statements have little factual basis and therefore are not worthy of belief or consideration."

For example, here are some of the "no one else's" that say he will be #1 pick overall.

Scott Wright-www.draftcountdown.com

Mel Kiper- has had him his top rated QB for quite a while...he doesn't include underclassmen in his mock drafts, but well see how that unfolds in January (His latest rankings in December had Stafford ahead of Bradford and Sanchez)

Drew Sharp of the Detroit Free Press did a long article about the possibility of Stafford being the selection of the team he covers in Detroit...the Lions...who pick #1

Walterfootball.com- Matt Stafford #1 pick

Footballsfuture.com- Matt Stafford #1

About.com- Matthew Stafford #1

nfldraftdog.com- Matthew Stafford #1

Does this prove that Stafford will go #1? Absolutely not. Does it prove that people that spend their time talking about these sorts of things are saying he could go #1? Yes. I was hard pressed to find him going lower than #4 in most publications.

Respectfully, I submit to you that your opinions and statements have little factual basis and therefore are not worthy of belief or consideration.

Thanks, Irwin. Of course, his draftability was never really what I was talking about, but I appreciate the research and find it a lot more interesting when I get to learn from posters rather than be attacked. I'll try to refrain from calling you an idiot because you didn't seem to really understand my posts.

What part of your quote - "Anon 9:42, who said he's likely to be number 1? You? I keep reading that on Georgia blogs, but no one else says that, including the scouts who have him as the #3 QB and think he should stay in school to work on his decision-making." - did I not understand.

My understanding is that you stated no one else (other than Georgia blogs) said he is likely to go #1. My research shows that this statement is in not based in reality or fact.

Please help me understand if there is a different conclusion to draw other than your statement ...again, just to remind you "I keep reading that on Georgia blogs, but no one else says that, including the scouts who have him as the #3 QB and think he should stay in school to work on his decision-making"...was completely inaccurate.

And who are these "scouts" you keep referring to? You referenced them in a couple of posts. My understanding of the way scouts work (and this may be way off) is that scouts are paid to put together confidential information for their employer (i.e. team) so that their employer (i.e. team) will have a competitive advantage or at least detailed knowledge when selecting a player, signing a player, etc. I'm not aware of any scouts who are currently employed by actual teams that are allowed to run a blog, write a column, or generally share their confidential information with the public at large. I have heard of Scouts, Inc. and Scouts.com...but just to clarify, those are actually journalists, not employed scouts (to be fair, some of these journalists were former scouts good enough to be just that...former scouts.) Just because the word scout is in the name of the column or website, doesn't mean that it is actual Scouts writing (or that it is endorsed by Harper Lee for that matter).

Second, the defense cost us games more times than not. And I appreciate his time at UGA. I don't think he was tanking or playing half heartedly. But...

Sure the TD pass to Mikey in 07 Bama was a thing of beauty, but so was Cox in 06 Colorado or Greene in 02 Auburn. With all of Stafford's talent, how many times did we see Staff throw off his back foot, force the ball or the opposite, not put enough touch on it? How many games was he actually over 70% passing like we've seen McCoy, Bradford or yes, even Tebow? Was he lights out second half Cap One? Yes, but how many halfs did he have like the first half? He's "ready" because he can throw a 50 yd bomb on a rope that no one else can. I wish him all the luck and success, I'm not hoping he's a failure. My perception of watching him for 3 years is that he's Jeff George or a poor man's Brett Favre waiting to happen.

In 15 months, I have never noticed that the last name wasn't spelled the same as the movie.

Seriously, it has never been pointed out.

Honestly, your the first one.

Really.

-Congrats.

(on another note, it is really hard to use the "read upthread" & "I was talking about..." excuse when you are quoted in the flame.

Honestly, I hadn't read anything you had said...I just copied, pasted, put quotes around, and ripped the factual basis of my 'best guess of what you possibly had written' to shreds without reading any of it.

You know what they say about monkeys and typewriters and Shakespeare...I just guessed at the exact words of your post, guessed at where the quotes would go, and then hoped that my made up hypothesis would support the research I did on the Interwebnet (Al Gore Memorial Parkway).

"If I'm going to get busted, it is not going to be by a guy like that."

"Honestly, I hadn't read anything you had said...I just copied, pasted, put quotes around, and ripped the factual basis of my 'best guess of what you possibly had written' to shreds without reading any of it."

Then you would have known, Ferris Fletch, that you brought up the "when are you going to understand that the game is pro job training" thing in the same sentence as "get a clue. " YOU started that, and I responded by questioning your statement, and you backed it up, thank you. But my point THROUGHOUT has not been about his job training, because I believe the point of the games is to WIN them, not to show NFL scouts what a great arm you have. I'm not sure Stafford or you agree with me on this. That's fine, but I think that point--whether the primary purpose of college football is to win games or to get ready for the pros--is much more debatable than to flame someone by saying "when are you going to get a clue" in not recognizing that the whole idea is to show off your individual ability.

I was lazy in not fact checking, and I do sincerely respect and appreciate being corrected, but "reading" is not the same as "understanding what you read." Maybe a little Faulkner is in order along with Harper Lee.

Hi Fletch,Thanks for choosing quotes out of context. It's what you do.

P.S. "draftability" is not the same as "ability." There's that little potential factor that gets in the way. I'm sorry for offending you by assuming widdle Matty was a big enough boy to hear that I think maybe he is not as perfect as you think he was. Good on you for defending the children, Mr. Gundy.

Have good fun with your little babies and juvenile 80's film references (at least use something good, like Scorcese or David Lynch), Rbubp.